Convincing the Emerald
by Shizuku Tsukishima749
Summary: Hermione stared at him incredulously. "After trusting you with our very lives for four years now, you really think we'd throw everything away?" How could he? "We just want you to know that we love you, Harry." Oneshot. HHr


**Convincing The Emerald**

"Do you _ever_ stop eating?"

"I'm hungry."

"Ugh…" She placed her thumb and forefinger against her forehead, turning her head away so that she wouldn't have to watch the red-headed boy hark down his food. As she turned, she was surprised to see Harry standing there, an uncertain expression on his face as he peered at the two of them, as if…he thought they would turn on him, too…!

"Harry!" She smiled slightly, wishing he would have more faith in them, more faith in her.

"Can I sit here?" The words pierced her heart, and she looked to Ron, wondering if he felt the same confusion and hurt; how _could_ Harry think otherwise? They knew the Daily Prophet was simply going along with the lies the Minister told, and nothing else would convince them of their best friend's guilt, except the boy himself! Was he truly losing trust in them?

Ron's eyes clearly showed the equivalent of hers, and although she would rather not have him speak at the moment, lest she witness already masticated food stuffs falling from his mouth, she knew that if he _could_ talk to her, the same worries would surely spill out.

She pushed herself up from her seat with a gentle, but deep breath, and calmly placed herself in front of the emerald-eyed fifteen-year-old. He watched her, his eyes wide for a second at her sudden change of mood, detecting even the emotions she didn't let her posture or visage express.

She let out that breath with a smile forming on her face, and she carefully slipped her hand in one of his, causing nearly everyone in the Great Hall to shush and stare, except for a good portion of Slytherins and Snape, who couldn't care less.

She could tell that Harry was the only one _not _surprised by the action…well, not including Luna and Professor Dumbledore, who both smiled wisely. She gazed into the boy's eyes, the smile full and honest by now, and spoke with all the care and love she'd developed for him over the years.

"You should know you never have to ask, Harry. We're your friends, and nothing will ever cause us to not believe you, unless you give us a reason to do so. We pray you would never lose faith in our trust in you, because Ron and I…" She laughed. "We…We've trusted you with our very lives for…for four years now! Do you really think we'd throw all of that away?!"

Her smile was at its peak right now, her cheeks and eyes burning with raw emotion. "We just want you to know that we love you, Harry," She paused, leaning forward to place a most gentle, proving kiss on his cheek, and then pulled away just as slowly.

She continued to stare into the boy's eyes and travel his face, catching sentiment, as she was so capable of doing: relief and joy that his friends really did believe in him, surprise at her abrupt display of feeling, a distinct uncaring for the people around them who were ogling, and the sensations of acceptance and feeling whole again as he was with the people he cared about the most.

He squeezed her hand strongly, his face a firm smile of determination, and yet abundant relief from the clouds that had made up his vision just moments before. Beaming and hand-in-hand, the two Hogwarts students turned towards their friends and sat side-by-side, the rest of the school, pardoning the majority of Slytherin house and its Head, whispering about the scene they'd just observed.

Every once in awhile, she would glance at him, silently searching for any stray doubt in his soul, pondering the fact that he could simply have been hiding it for her conscience's sake, upon discovering her talent of reading people.

However, it seemed that she wasn't the only one who had such a talent, and the last time she took a quick look his way, he looked hers; he grinned full-heartedly, his eyes shining like the constellations in the scene that played above their heads.

He laughed at the expression she now wore, one of astonishment at having been caught in the act, and soon, she was laughing too, blocking out the world as they read the emotions of one another, plain as ink on paper, a rainbow in the sky.

She had convinced him of the loyalty he would always have with him, of the love, care, and understanding that would always be there if he sought it, and now, he was convincing her of the same, with that smile and those joyous emerald eyes.

"..._**You're not alone here..." **_


End file.
